Bodybuilding gran proves that age is no barrier

Stephanie Bateman

When most people hear the word grandmother, a certain image comes to mind.

In the past it has often been an image focused around cardigans, knitting and toffees, a sedentary life, a lot of afternoon television and very little else.

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One Isle woman is blowing that stereotype out of the water and, at the age of 56, is proving that you are never too old to change your life around.

Divorced mum of one and grandmother to three girls, Kim King, of Massey Close in Epworth, looked in the mirror two years ago and didn’t like what she saw.

It was at that point she decided to do something about it, and started to make radical changes to her lifestyle.

Not only has she lost four stones since then but is now vying for top spot as one of Britain’s top bodybuilders.

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She explains here how her life-change came about.

“I was on holiday with the girls in Majorca.

“I was sat by the pool and I looked down at myself and thought ‘look at the size of my legs’”, said Kim.

“I’m only 5ft tall and my legs looked like tree trunks.

“I was just so embarrassed I decided to do something about it.

“I had tried every diet going before and nothing seemed to work, I’d even tried diet pills, but what I hadn’t ever done is exercise.

“I told my daughter Natalie that I was going to start at the gym and she was convinced it wouldn’t last, but it did.”

Over the last two years Kim has changed the way she eats and exercises regularly, training mostly with lifting weights, and her hard work and determination has paid off.

Not only did she qualify as a kettlebell instructor last year - she holds classes in the Imperial Hall in Epworth - and join the growing trend for females to lift weights, but earlier this month she competed in the Pure Elite bodybuilding show in Manchester.